Linkedin, a powerful and effective tool to use during your job hunt process.

Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash

Introduction

Success has meaning only when we can tie it with a purpose. It’s rewarding to figure out what accomplishments give us a sense of satisfaction — those that deserve us as much as we deserve to work on them. Once we find the problems we are interested in solving, it’s time to put in the work. The importance of tools is paramount in this process. Here I talk about how I used Linkedin as an empowering tool in my job search and interview process.

The more proactive you can be in your job search the better the outcome will be, I speak from personal experience.

I hope you take these ideas, synthesize them into something that applies well to you, make them your own.

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Your profile

Be your biggest advocate. Tell the story you want on your profile.

1. Keep your profile updated. Pick the most significant skills that you think will apply the most in the next job you envision for yourself.
2. Highlight growth through the list of past experiences. It’s great if you can show that you have been intentional about your career.
3. Incorporate any talks, papers, blogs that can speak for you. It’s not easy to carve a niche for yourself beyond your role. Thus, it’s really helpful to see how your work connects to that of your community, especially as a leader.
4. If there are colleagues who can write great things about you, request it via Linkedin. One great one > many good ones(because every accepted Linkedin recommendation is anyways “good”).

Your network

Build your network before you need it. Don’t approach networking with a utilitarian mindset. Go beyond, build a truly rich social circle. Brevity and specificity are your friends here.

1. Engage with your Linkedin network — congratulate, empathize, communicate personably.
2. Keep it authentic. There is no reason to fake amicability. Be there when people need you, do what you can. Build your credibility by letting your actions speak for you.
3. The pedestal of networking is people. Celebrations and professional setbacks — both need people. Having “movers and shakers” in your network speaks about who you are and what kind of people you attract.

Linkedin Jobs

Learn how to navigate and find the jobs relevant to you. Be self-aware to pro-actively seek the right fit. Especially when seeking leadership roles, be mindful of your choices.

1. Be clear about what you want. Make your job search as efficient as possible by using the right filters. Time is of the essence here.
2. There comes a certain unique joy in working for a company whose values match yours, I urge you to seek it. Read the company’s core values, see if you think it translates to their products and if they align with you.
3. Apply to jobs consistently. The dedication helps because there are variables in the equation you might be unaware of and have no control over. Repetition evens out inconsistencies.

Contacting Recruiters

Recruiters are there to help, it’s up to you on how much meaning you can see in these connections. Think longterm.

1. Connect with the recruiters, be nice to them. They can be your best allies through and through. It’s in your best interest to build the right relationship with them and make them root for you.
2. I used a template message when I contacted the recruiters and added some personalization touches(name of the recruiter, company) before I sent it out.
3. I would proactively reach out to two to three recruiters in companies I wished to apply. Sometimes the job lists the recruiter who posted the job — even easier.

Studying The Company and Team

There is no excuse for being company-unaware. Please go through the products, core values, mission of the company before talking to the hiring manager. It just speaks so much about how passionate you are about the role.

1. Visit their website. Glance through the products, investors, customers, partners, and founders. Check Glassdoor for company reviews.
2. See if the core values appeal to you, if they indeed translate to their product strategy.
3. If it’s a startup, visit Crunchbase. See who is funding the company. Try to do some rough math on how financially sound they might be. You will get lots of opportunities to ask good questions throughout your interview. Craft good ones that can teach you more about the future of the company.

Linkedin Premium

Getting Linkedin Premium was one of the best things I gave myself during the job change process. Here are a few reasons why you should consider it.

1. I was able to send inMail messages to people I was not connected to — key influencers, managers — with messages not restricted by the length of the message.
2. I used Linkedin Learning which helped me remarkably in honing my skills, broadening my perspectives, polishing my interview delivery styles with the usage of the right words.
3. Getting access to who visited my profile was helpful sometimes, especially if they worked at a place I admired. It’s a good data point that can go all the way from boosting confidence to making key connections.
4. Salary insights came handy when negotiating competing offers.

Linkedin Learning

I cannot speak enough about the quality of the material on Linkedin Learning. I have benefited directly from many leadership courses on the Learning platform, especially when I was starting as a manager. Here is how it helped my interviewing process to be precise.

1. I started using the right words, for example, I used to use “action plan” or “implementation plan”. I started using words like execution, strategy, or tactic, or process. I sounded more professional.
2. I acquired the subtler skills crucial for a good manager: negotiation skills, managing social capital, persuasion powers, thought leadership. I also expanded my perspective by learning about the mechanics of how to apply them.
3. It helped me find great books, podcasts from my favorite speakers and coaches. For example, I found Dorie Clark’s courses on Linkedin Learning and connected with her content. That led me to learn more from her work.

#software-engineering #linkedin #linkedin-learning #engineering-leadership #engineering-mangement